


Music

by AngelGlass



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29284791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelGlass/pseuds/AngelGlass
Summary: “You’re not alone, Jareth.” She looked up into his soulful eyes, willing for him to understand the words that she was saying. “I’m not telling you this to dismiss anything that you’re feeling. I just want you to know that I’m here, that the kids are here. That you mean more to us than anything.” - Sarah, Queen of the Goblins and wife to Jareth. Companion piece to Colors.
Relationships: Jareth/Sarah Williams
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Music

_*Slam!*_

Jareth paused after slamming the door, realizing that someone else was in the room. He had expected to be alone. Damn it.

"Jare?"

He saw his wife look up from the book she was reading, a concerned look on her face at his burst of anger.

While her endearing nickname for him did make him soften just a little, he was still raging inside from the events of the day. He closed his eyes, leaning against the door as he took deep breaths, not wanting to take out his anger on the one he loved. "May I use the piano here?"

"Of course," Sarah said without hesitation and without questions. They had been married long enough for her to tell that he needed time to unwind before talking to her.

He strode to the upright piano, a family heirloom from Sarah's grandparents. No one wanted the old thing but her as she had fond memories from her grandfather playing on it. He took it upon himself to get it fixed and tuned for her birthday, restoring it to its former glory so that they could make more memories with their own young family.

He practically tore his gloves off, feeling the urgency from the black and white keys calling to him. The moment his fingers slammed into the keys, a sense of calm and peace filled him, his emotions seeping from inside. The world faded away, leaving only his broken emotions behind.

Sarah pretended to read, knowing that Jareth preferred to not feel like he was being watched. She felt her heart ache at the anguish in her husband's soul as he played pieces of anger, such as his own composition, Within You.

Years of repressed bitterness came to the surface every now and then, the scars haunting him from when he was so utterly alone and abandoned, even though he was now surrounded by people who adored him with every fiber of their being.

He played through many other pieces, pieces that had angry, threatening tones or he would turn them into anger. Some were made up on the spot. Others were instrumentals like Sense of Doubt or Warszawa by David Bowie, the rhythms jagged and rough. Sometimes his fingers would fly across the keys or pushed down deliberately, as if pushing down his own inner emotions.

Then, out of nowhere, complete silence.

Sarah could scarcely breathe, not wanting to disrupt his train of thought.

When he played again, she was expecting to hear more rage, but no.

He was playing Word on a Wing, also by David Bowie. A soulful song which Bowie would say that came in the darkest days of his life as a call for help.

Jareth had played that song before. Many times, in fact, as this was a favorite of theirs. But tonight was different. She could practically taste his agony in the air, his soul calling out for an end to the anguish.

Jareth closed his eyes, playing by touch. Every note, every chord caused him pain but that pain lessened with every stroke of his fingers.

By the time he finished Word on a Wing, he collapsed, the weight of everything still shoving him down as he took a shuddering breath. He slowly came back to the world, sensing his wife standing behind him.

He tapped his fingers on the top of the piano. "The children were occupying the music room, so I came here."

Sarah came closer, putting her hand on his back, making soothing motions between his shoulder blades. "I figured," she said softly, being gentle with him. She massaged the knots in his back, the tension leaving him.

Carefully, she sat next to him, wrapping her arms around his body. "I love you."

Three words. Words that he heard from her often. And yet, the novelty never ceased. Every time she said those words, he felt at peace. He would walk a thousands of miles on broken glass just to hear her say that she loved him.

He held her hack. Sarah, his wife. His queen. His safe haven. "I feel so alone today," he whispered.

His voice sounded so small. Very rarely did would she ever describe his voice as small. It tore her to pieces. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to take his torment away from him, even if it meant putting it on herself.

"You're not alone, Jareth." She looked up into his soulful eyes, willing for him to understand the words that she was saying. "I'm not telling you this to dismiss anything that you're feeling. I just want you to know that I'm here, that the kids are here. That you mean more to us than anything."

Jareth squeezed her, pulling her even closer to him. "Oh, Sarah. You are my everything."

And he meant it. He never said a word that he didn't mean.

They kissed softly and fervently, pouring the emotions from deep inside their soul to each other. Sarah placed her hand over his heart, feeling the tempo on her palm accelerate as they kissed, then slow when they rested their foreheads against each other. She held his face and kissed his cheek, nuzzling against his neck the way he liked. Each touch added another movement to the symphony of their love.

She took his hands and kissed every finger, caressing his face, humming their wedding song without realizing it. The memory brought them both back to the day they made vows to each other. The vow to always cherish each other.

As he was holding his wife, Jareth contemplated on how someone could be such a balm to his soul. She could always bring him back from the deepest, darkest moments of his life. Anger and past memories dredged up from experiencing today's events still burned in the back of his mind. That was alright. He would be able to resolve it, to seek therapy, especially with his family by his side.

Speaking of his family...

"How much time do we have before dinner?" Jareth asked into her hair, still enjoying the gentle movements of her hand as she rubbed his back.

"An hour or so, I threw some food in the slow cooker," she replied. "Why?"

"I want to fly. Will you join me?" He pulled from her, holding her hands. "Come with me to the reflecting pool. It will help me to clear my head, and I want you by my side."

She brightened, pleased that he was inviting her to be with him, to share the burden. "I'll tell the kids we'll be gone. Meet me in the throne room."

Five minutes later, they transformed into owls, flying in the sky to a favorite spot of theirs in The Goblin Queen's Park. The park was a gift from Jareth to Sarah as well as to the kingdom. To have a bit of nature in the middle of a busy city was exactly what the inhabitants of the Goblin Kingdom enjoyed and served as a tribute to Sarah's life Aboveground when she lived in New York City, often visiting Central Park.

They took the long way around, soaring high above the Labyrinth. Before Sarah, he felt so much bitterness about his station in life and the part he had to play as Goblin King that he couldn't truly admire the kingdom that he ruled. She taught him to find the beauty in every living thing, giving him more appreciation for the life that he was blessed with.

They landed on a statue, watching as the sun set. Still in their owl forms, Jareth turned to Sarah, who was still staring at the flowers, pushing her beak closer to smell them. Even as an owl, she looked beautiful and majestic. And unique as well, for she took on the form of a melanistic barn owl. She was all black, her wings looked like little stars embedded into them. She was also smaller than him, as females were usually larger than the males.

That was his Sarah, marching to the beat of her own drum.

She sensed his stares, walking over to rub her head against him affectionately, grooming his feathers. They transformed back to their fae forms, standing by the pool. Sarah wrapped her arms around him, both looking down on their reflections.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She angled her head up to see his eyes.

Jareth shook his head, a small smile escaping from his lips. "No, not right now. Later, perhaps?"

"Absolutely," she reassured him. "Whenever you like."

They sat down, the weight on his shoulders dissipating when he buried his face in her shoulder. They sat that way for a while, listening to nature's own music as day turned to night.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to Colors. I hope that I did it justice, that you, dear reader, are enjoying it. Thank you for reading this, and thank you in advance for your reviews!


End file.
